Overview & Reviews

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively brief. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in price.

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds, and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV, and its quality did not match customers' expectations.

For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe, and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed, as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.

By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover, the TSX wagon and the ZDX, a fastback-styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their appealing mix of performance, technology and value.

User Reviews:

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  Lots of bang for your buck... - 2003 Acura TL
  By roymccoy - January 6 - 10:00 am

  We have had our 2003 TL-SType w/navigation for about a month and we love the car. Fast, fuel efficient and more technology inside then our airplane. (Im not kidding) Pros: Snappy, fuel efficient, technology loaded, comfy seats, big trunk, lots of storage places, could never own a car without the navigation system again! Lots for your money, nicer than my BMW 328i. Cons: Never really liked the Acura body styling, too much wind noise at freeway speeds, why cant a $35,000 car have automatic headlights? Bose sound system is just okay, air-conditioner is hard to get set just right...not enough vents in the front.

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  Great Vehicle Lousy Service - 2001 Acura MDX
  By als mdx - January 4 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle excellent is spite of dealers lousy service and rip offs.

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  Boring and Stale - 2002 Acura RL
  By ref - January 3 - 2:00 am

  Car is well build, reliable, and sound. But a bore to drive try to rent one for a week before driving, Deal discounts abound, but dont fall in love of the deal (I did) OPPS! With deep discounts and an overload of lease returns, your 10,000 mile value will devistate you. Bearly in the black after $11,000 down at purchase and after $9,000. discount of sticker.OUCH! Working hard to trade for BMW or Benz.....REAL HARD

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  had an 86 for 200,000 mi., wanted more - 1991 Acura Legend
  By markyg - December 31 - 2:00 am

  After 14 years of driving an 86 Legend, I was convinced of Acura quality (engine still ran perfectly). I shopped for 4 months and bought a 91 coupe w/ 32K mi. Looks, feels & drives like a new car. Many people assume its a brand new car. Unbelieveable for a 12 year old car.

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  Refined Quality with a little Zip - 2001 Acura CL
  By teton_jumper - December 31 - 2:00 am

  The Type S is a beautifully constructed vehicle that exudes quality. The 260 HP gives the CL good punch, whether from a dead stop or while passing. I have owned several Mercedes and this vehicle is comparable as a road cruiser, but doesnt quite achieve the German road feel. The handling is a bit heavy, as would be expected from a front-driver. Overall, a comfortable and competent performer.

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  Fun Econoluxe Gas Sipper - 2006 Acura TSX
  By cartfan72 - December 30 - 5:10 pm

  We compared this against the new Jetta. We felt the Jetta (GLI) drove better (more torquey and quicker handling), but could not pass up the unparalleled Acura Navi system, built in Bluetooth and overall build quality. Our dealer experience here in Cary NC was very poor when it came time to negotiate a final price on the car we wanted. After offering a firm price I was told the car I wanted had been sold and no others in the area were available! What a lie!I found one myself only an hour away.I ended up buying the car out of state and saved about $1000, even with transportation costs. But, it was definitely worth the added hastle. The dealer I used in MD was fantastic, throrough and fair.

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  Would Love IT Except...Horrible Transmission - 2016 Acura MDX
  By mps_ - December 30 - 8:23 am

  Purchased: 2016 MDX Advance. This is my second MDX (my wifes car) and while I am big fan of the vehicle, Acura made some horrible tweaks to the car. If I were to buy this car again, I would try to find a 2015 model. Pros: The interior is beautiful with great materials. The ride quality is excellent and always gives confidence. Cons: The are 3 man issues with this car 1) The transmission is truly horrible. I am car guy who has owned many cars and have never experienced such a bad transmission. PLEASE release a software update to fix this 2) The auto-idle is poorly executed and there is no way to permanently turn it off. 3) Infotainment system is dated and the GPS in mediocre

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  Integra Non-Vtec - 1995 Acura Integra
  By antillano - December 30 - 2:00 am

  This has been an extremely reliable car. My car has 129,000 miles. I have had only to replace the radiator and the A/C evaporator. All other repairs or replacement parts have been required due to the heavy use I have given this car (clutch, tires, brake pads, timing belt). This car has traveled between Philadelphia and Miami 5 times with no problems. On weekdays I drive this car an average of 50 miles per day in a combination of city and highway driving and the car still gives a fuel economy of about 27-29 miles per gallon.

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  Holds Value Well - 1997 Acura TL
  By ebharrison - December 28 - 2:00 am

  Reliable, and fun to drive. Good resale value makes me feel good about this choice. Some passengers complain about how low the seats are to the ground and those with long legs dislike the rear seat.

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  Poor quality control - 2001 Acura TL
  By Jim Govoni - December 28 - 2:00 am

  Transmission stays out of gear after shifting from park 1-5 seconds. ABS & TCS Lights come on together and go off after restart. Many squeaks and rattles especially when cold. Paint quaily is very poor, finish disolves from bird droppings within 3 days. Windshield has what appears to be permanent smears. Seat belt retractor on drivers side is way too slow and can get caught in the door. Dealer charged over $300.00 for 30k service, including an unneeded Trans. fluid change.